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Beau Jackson's Little Red Caboose
June 28, 2003
A few days
ago, I was traveling south on SR 135 approaching the small town of Trafalgar,
IN. on my way to a shoot at a Mexican Restaurant that was located there. I was
prepared in my mindset to begin photographing food for a menu that I was
preparing for them. So Taco Salad was very much in the forethoughts of my mind.
But as I approached the intersection of SR135 and SR 44 (Franklin, IN -
Martinsville, IN turnoff) I was very much distracted by a brilliantly Red
Caboose that was on the west side of the road. There a man was hard at work with
a paint brush making the already Red Caboose even more Red. If that were
possible. This was on of those times when I just had to pull over and talk to
this individual and inquire as to his intentions and vision for the site.
This site
is itself a strange location for a Little Red Caboose. 1st off it is just south
of a major intersection of to highways. 2nd off there are no railroad tracks
within 2 miles. 3rd off the site itself is at best described as not exactly
level. There as been a large sign posted requesting clean fill dirt to fill in a
large gully the bisects the northern half of the 18 acre property from the
southern half. The southern half of the property now has the beginnings of
multi-tenant store front building. Sometimes a strange vehicle is parked
next to this building (Photo Coming). Would you believe a Full Sized School Bus
that has been converted into a School Bus/Flatbed Truck.
Beau
Jackson is the owner of this unusual property. When asked about his vision for
his property, Beau stated that he really didn't have one yet but he was working
on it. His love of trains, especially cabooses, had led him to save the one that
he was now working on. It had been located in front of a house further south on
SR 135 just north of Nashville, IN where it had been falling into a state of
complete disrepair. Beau had to save it. I discovered the Beau is a history
buff, as I am, and we discussed for a short time the sad state of Johnson
County's original one-room school houses and how most of them are now gone to
never be seen again. (I will post some photos of the schools soon). I must
applaud the Johnson County Historical Society for their efforts to move and
completely renovate one such school. It was a major effort to pluck the whole
intact building from its nearby site. To place it on a huge flatbed trailer and
to slowly move it over 10 miles of curving hilly country roads to its new site
just to the NW of Franklin, IN.
To be
continued.....
Some
Photos of The Little Red Caboose.
All photos copyright Evergreen Photographic I & D
John R. Spurr 2003
Beau posing with his caboose 
Beau looking our from the rail 
At work painting
View looking to the southwest
Looking to the north, towards Indianapolis, IN 
View to the northwest 
Painting of caboose, courtesy of Gill, a friend of Beau
and a published book on cabooses 
Gills Painting of a one possible future view of the Little Red
Caboose. 
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